1. Field of the Invention
The invention in general relates to automatic ice making systems, and more particularly to such a system in which the water quantity control may utilize one of a group of ganged cantilevered switch blades as commonly used in appliance timers and has relatively few parts.
2. Background of the Invention
U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,497 issued to C. J. Knerr and U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,656 issued to W. J. Linstromberg et al disclose prior art icemakers of the type to which the present invention relates. Both these patents employ microswitches to control the quantity of water that flows into the ice freezing tray on each cycle, and thus control the size of the ice "cubes". Since these patents were issued, devices other than microswitches have been used to perform this function. However, these have all been relatively sophisticated devices such as specialized rotating phos-bronze lands, the length of which varies radially and which rotate under phos-bronze bifurcated wipers. The water quantity adjustment is made by a small set screw which adjusts the position of the wipers radially. Microswitches and specialized devices are relatively expensive as compared to the simple cantilevered switch blades commonly used in other timing applications; see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,433 issued to William E. Wagle, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,689 issued to Elmo W. Voland. Such blades are especially inexpensive when several of them can be used in a single appliance and ganged as in the Wagle patent referenced above. Although such switches have been known for more than a generation, no one has up to now devised a way to use them in controlling the water quantity in icemakers.